No more lying
by Vitalina13
Summary: Inspired by the best episode in Season 3 and the only one worth re-watching: Vermont Is For Lovers Too. I miss "happy" Olitz and don't understand why writers keep on making them break up and make up. You have KW and TG and their intense and crazy chemistry, use it! All rights are not mine and belong to Shonda Rhimes and ABC
1. No more lying

She was not sure what came over her. Maybe it was his declaration about the house, their house, his deep belief they "had a chance" or maybe it was the look of hurt and sadness on his face when he said he needed to sell it now, the kind of look that she never wanted to see again, and definitely didn't want to be the person who inspired that look.

She clawed at his clothes like they were on fire and she was trying to save him from the flames. His look of confusion and uncertainty after her first kiss quickly turned into one of tenderness, love, and lust as she peeled more and more of the layers off him. She usually allowed him to take the lead, enjoying his assertive care of her body, the way he knew how to touch her and make her go wild. Today was not one of those days though. Today she was in control and was pushing him to the point of no return.

Fitz fell back on the floor as soon as the last waves of their climax hit them both. Olivia followed him eagerly and placed her head in the hollow between his shoulder and neck. She loved that nook of his body; it was created specially for her. She smiled blissfully, feeling his hands dance up and down her spine. Hic cock was still trembling inside of her, and she could feel the essence, both his and hers, slowly trickling down her thighs.

"All is right in the world" – she thought. Even if it is only for one minute, or one hour, but her world was a happy place, and the most important person, Fitz, was right there with her.

Olivia was still regulating her breath after rounds of intense lovemaking they just had. She was still sometimes surprised by the intensity of the love they shared. Coming down from her cloud 9, she started feeling a bit uncomfortable being naked on the floor with Fitz in this strange beautiful house. And then she remembered that it was not a "strange" house, it was their house, the one that he built for them. She could not help herself and shook her head slightly and laughed softly.

"What?" - Fitz' voice was right next to her ear. Even though his hands stilled their dance on her back, she could hear the amusement in his voice.

She looked up from her place in his neck and stared into his eyes. He looked so happy and carefree. Fitz always had this look right after they made love and before reality came back crashing down on them. Olivia gave him a gentle smile and popped her chin on his chest.

"I just can't believe you built a real house here. It's just mad!"

His expression turned completely serious in an instant.

"Livvie, this is not madness. This is our house and this is our future" – He gently silence her with his fingers pressing down on her lips gently. "After my duties at the White House are done, we are going to move here, and we are going to build our life together, away from all the politics, intrigues, DC, and all **that** madness. We will have children, and bake cakes, and go for walks, and have fights, and make love, and cook dinners and do million other things that families do, regular and normal families. We will do what I have always wanted to do, what WE always wanted to do…" - He finished talking and just looked at her, waiting for her reaction: panic, withdrawal, joy, any kind of emotion. Olivia just stared at him speechless, not knowing what to say. She felt so vulnerable and raw under his gaze. She knew that he could see through her; see all her fears and thoughts, and doubts and worries.

She suddenly felt the urge to move, to do something, anything to get away from this intense moment and his bright eyes staring at her. She jumped up and started searching the room for her clothes frantically. She found her panties and quickly put them on, refusing to look at Fitz. He just sighed and pulled his underwear on, watching silently her jerky movements and jumpy eyes. When Olivia saw that her blouse was discarded far away, on the other side of the sofa and totally out of her reach, she almost covered herself with her hands, needing some kind of protection, feeling very naked and distraught.

Fitz felt her trembling beside him and his momentary annoyance and anger at her retrieval disappeared.

"Olivia..." – he soothed. He grabbed his undershirt from the floor and passed it to her. Olivia gratefully disappeared in it, smoothing it over her body, finally meeting her eyes. Fitz opened his arms for her, as if hearing her inner voice that was already shouting doubts and regrets in her head.

"It's ok baby, don't fret..." – his arms wrapped her in their warm embrace, and Olivia felt like she could breath again. He started a familiar pattern of soothing circles on her back, and then brought up her chin so that he could look into her eyes.

"Are you hungry?"

"What?!" – Olivia gave him her wide eye stare "I mean, Fitz…"

"Are you hungry?" – he interrupted her again. "Have you had dinner? I have not eaten in a while and I am famished. Have you?"

She smiled, grateful for the sudden change of pace and conversation topic. "I am very hungry! I can even eat something other than popcorn!" Her eyes were full of mischief and laughter. Fitz shook his head at her, clasped her hand and pulled her behind him into the kitchen.

Olivia stood by the counter and watched curiously as Fitz unpacked the contents of several paper bags that he had in the kitchen. He gave her a small smile when he caught her looking at him and raised his eyebrows, silently challenging her to question him. Olivia gave him a throaty chuckle, one that always managed to warm him up.

"Where did you get all this food? And how?" – she relented and answered his challenge with her curious question.

"This is from a local bakery. When I came here for the first time to look at the land, the contractor recommended that I try it out. So, I did, and absolutely loved these sandwiches. Since then, every time I visit, I try to eat there at least once. It's really good and the owner is a local guy. I think his wife grows most of their vegetables in their own garden" – he finished with a shrug.

Olivia's smile got even brighter as she listened to him – "And you can't help support local businesses, can you? - she teased gently.

"Certainly. Now be a good girl and help me bring this all back to the fire". They got the sandwiches, and juice containers and water and brought it all back to the fireplace, where Fitz pulled a blanket before and spread all their treats on it. Their impromptu picnic on the carpet in front of the fireplace of their house was one of the most romantic things Olivia has ever done. Tucking into the sandwiches, they eyed each other silently, neither willing to break their happy bubble and start a real conversation.

"Mmhm, this is really good Fitz! You should send my compliments to the bakery guy!" - Olivia decided to be the first to break the silence. It is not that she was uncomfortable sitting there and not talking to him; she just wanted to actually _TALK_ to him, have a simple conversation about everything and nothing, something that they rarely did, and something they had no time to do in a while. Agendas, hurtful words, speeches to be fixed, and problems to address were always there between them.

He replied with a full smile, the one that made his eyes crinkle.

"Why don't you thank him yourself? I hope you will have plenty of opportunities to meet him in person"

"I hope so too" – Olivia replied with a gentle smile.

Their easy conversation continued on and off while they were finishing their food, and after they were done, Fitz took their plates to the kitchen and cleaned up. When he retuned back to the carpet, he found Olivia staring into the flames in the fireplace, seemingly lost to the world.

"Liv, we need to talk" – he tried to bring her out of her reverie.

"Boy, doesn't THAT sound promising!" – Olivia shrugged her shoulders and gave him a mirthless smile. He patiently waited for her to continue, sensing that she was ready to talk and share with him what was on her mind. Olivia took a deep breath, mentally preparing herself for the battle and a conversation that could not have been easy for either of them.

"I am sorry Fitz. I am sorry for hiding my father from you. I think... I guess I didn't want you to know who he is... and who I might be, and who I am connected to… I am ashamed and I am scared of him, of his work, and of his power, and what he can do to you… and I want as much distance as possible between you and him. I don't know if this makes sense to you, but I don't even want you to know about him.. "

Fitz let her talk herself into silence. His logic followed her reason, but his head and his heart disagreed with everything she said and her rationale. And more than anything, he just wanted Olivia to be open with him.

"Liv, I understand that, and thank you for trying to protect me, but I can protect myself and I have means to protect myself. I don't want you to ever hide anything from me, especially something as big as your father and his job. Do you think he knows about us?"

"Fitz, of course he knows about us, he is the head of spy organization, he probably knew about us before we did"

Fitz nodded his head and captured her hand in his, tugging her gently to sit on his lap. Olivia moved over slowly, afraid to succumb to his charm and warmth again and not stand her ground. Having none of this, Fitz wrapped his arm around her, holding her face tenderly in his other hand.

" I want us to make a deal, Livvie. No more lying. No matter how hard the truth is, how painful, I want you to tell me everything. And I will do the same, as much as I can, unless I would be breaking the law by sharing something with you. Do you know that I have no one else to trust? No one else out there who will have my back? I need you to be honest with me, and I promise to do the same".

Olivia could feel her eyes begin to water at his words. She nodded her head in affirmation and sealed the promise with a soft kiss. Before they could get carried away, Fitz broke the kiss and fixed his eyes on her again.

"I can't tell you much about Remington… I was called in to go on a secret mission, Jake was my second pilot.. We flew to the destination and shot the target. We didn't know what the target was, until we got back to the base. When I saw the news next morning and realized what we did, what I did, I seriously considered killing myself, the guilt and horror I felt were just…" – Fitz started choking on his words, relieving and remembering those dark days and times. Olivia hugged him tightly and started rubbing soothing circles on his back, repeating the action he usually did when she was upset and distraught.

After a few minutes of silence, he started talking again.

"I didn't kill myself. I vowed that I will get to the bottom of this, why was I required to shot down a commercial flight and somehow make this wrong right. I could not bring back those people, but I thought I can help out other people. That was the first time in my life I seriously considered politics. I was young and naïve, thinking that being a Governor or a Senator can actually make a change in someone's life…"

Olivia broke their embrace to lean away from him and fixed him with her stare. To make sure he had his undivided attention, she cupped his cheeks and shook his head slightly.

"You ARE making a lot of positive changes in so many people's lives, never even doubt that!"

Fitz smiled at her, with a real warm smile that made his eyes dance.

"I love this about you, your continuous belief in me…"

"Only my belief?.. I though there are some other things that you love about me!"

She squealed as he tickled her and brought her back to the carpet. In the next moment, the t-shirt was gone from her body, and his hands started their maddening caress over her neck, her breasts, and he stomach. He leaned in to kiss her on the lips, but stopped with just a breath between them.

"Let me rephrase it. Your continuous belief in me is one of MANY things I love about you"

He sealed his declaration with a deep kiss. She sighed happily into it, and forcefully pushed all her worries at the back of her mind. This is what was important right now, his hands dragging her panties down her legs, his lips covering her with fire-like kisses everywhere. She was not sure when he got rid of his pants but suddenly he was in her, around her and she could not think anymore, and their magical dance began again.

Olivia fell asleep on the floor of her new house in Vermont with her head tucked under Fitz's chin, his arms wrapped around her. She felt free and content and even happy for a moment, and their promise of no more lying gave her new hope for the days to come.


	2. Down the memory lane

Thank you everyone for reviews and follows! I decided to open it up into a several chapter story.

I really want to come up with idea how Fitz and Olivia agreed that she is running his campaign again. But before I got there, this chapter got written :) I hope you like it!

**Chapter 2: Down the memory lane**

The sunlight was slowly creeping through the curtains, signaling the arrival of a new day. The alarm sounded off on her cell phone, and Olivia rolled over in her bed to switch it off. She closed her eyes again and took several deep breaths, her sleepy mind going back to that morning that seemed so long ago when Fitz stayed over for the whole night. They barely slept, their hunger for each other, and desire to hold, kiss, touch, and caress too great. They made love again, and again, and in the morning, Olivia woke up to the most wonderful feeling of his strong hands and solid body curled around her when she woke up.

Today, she was all alone in her bed. But if she closed her eyes tightly enough, concentrated her mind hard enough and let her dreams wander far enough, she could almost feel Fitz lying next to her, still fast asleep.

As Olivia went through her morning routine, preparing for a long day in the office, her clients' messes and her teams' demands, she could not switch her mind off Fitz. She was usually quite successful at pushing him at the back of her mind to concentrate on her chaotic day and work and people that surrounded her. But then the sound of his voice on TV, or his picture in the newspaper, or a word or a phrase muttered by someone else, but that he liked to use too, and she would momentarily snap out of her Fitz-free zone.

As she was listening to today's morning news, the anchor on CNN started debating why there was no news from the White House about the re-election campaign starting for president Grant. Olivia listened to the report going on and on about the possible reasons for the delay, and frowned. In the midst of the catastrophe that was her mother and Maya's escape from the US, Olivia uncharacteristically lost track of time and ignored the fact that presidential re-election campaign for Fitz has not been in the full swing yet.

Acting on impulse, she grabbed her burner phone and dialed his number.

"Good morning, Olivia" – he greeted her after the third ring. She heard shuffles and muted voices on the other side, Fitz was probably starting his day in the Oval Office right now. "How are you?" – he continued slightly awkwardly after a short pause. They have not talked much after Maya's escape, Olivia ignored a couple of his phone calls and never tried to all herself, feeling guilty for the horrible and compromising situation she put him in.

"Fitz, I am fine" – she answered in her usual chirpy tone. "We really need to talk. What time can I come over to the White House today?" – she went straight to the point.

"Liv, I am sorry, but today is really bad. I am booked solid, and can't move anything around, there will be people here in the Oval all day long. I have a breather at around 9 or 10, can I call you back then?"

"Uh, ok…" – she trailed off. Her chirpy tone suddenly gone, she really didn't expect him to say no to seeing her.

Not picking up on her mood change anyhow, Fitz went on: "Liv, I really need to go now. We'll talk later tonight, OK?"

"OK, Fitz, fine.." – she didn't want to sound so small and disappointed, but the words were out before she could stop them. Olivia disconnected the call and suddenly felt very weary. She realized she was looking forward to finally seeing him again, they have not properly talked or seen each other since Vermont, and now her plans were derailed and by Fitz himself. She had no choice but to head to the door to start her day, but made a mental note to call Cyrus ASAP and grill him about reelection.

The day flew past and Olivia didn't realize it was 9PM until she turned on the news in her office and heard the anchors speculating again about President Grant's re-election campaign, or lack thereof.

Olivia switched off the news in frustration and decided to call it a night. The new case that landed on her desk that day with a Senator and hos daughter who overdosed on some type of drug promised to turn into a long-drawn battle with media and Olivia knew she would need every ounce of her mental power and strength to win this case. Calling it a night at decent hour and re-energizing was a crucial part of the process. On the way out of her office, Olivia tried calling Cyrus again, but the call went unanswered. Olivia was beyond annoyed at this point, she felt like she was the least favorite person for the White House power people today, with neither Fitz nor Cyrus willing to talk to her.

On the way to her apartment, she decided to stop at a local supermarket as she was running low on wine. On a whim, she decided to go to the food aisles and get something to eat. She inevitable started thinking about Fitz and wondered what he would pick up if he was there with her. She smiled when she remembered a night in Camp David when they had grilled chicken and potato salad for dinner; it was one of her fondest memories of their time in her cabin.

_FLASHBACK TO CAMP DAVID_

Olivia sat on the couch in her cabin in Camp David, furiously scribbling away on her notepad. Ideas about Fits' first SOTU address kept on pouring out of her mind and into the paper like volcanic lava. Being with her day and night, making love and debating on major points of her speech made her feel invigorated, alive and creative. She couldn't remember last time she came up with so many ideas and brilliant points, Fitz being there with her definitely made all the difference. By 4 o'clock that afternoon, she was so exhausted, she fell asleep on him. She woke up naked and alone on the couch, a throw and pillows tucked all around her, all of it Fitz' handiwork, no doubt.

There was a simple note from him left on the coffee table in front of her, stating that he went off to meet with Cyrus and his new defense advisors and that he will be back for dinner.

Feeling completely reenergized after her nap, Olivia collected her clothes that was thrown around the cabin and took a shower. Cleaned up and ready to charge, she wanted to have the first draft of SOTU ready for Fitz when he came back to eat. Submerging herself into the speech writing, notes and drafts flying everywhere, she didn't notice that 8 o'clock was there and there was a soft knock on her door. She jumped to open her door, revealing Fitz with food bags at her door step.

"Dinner time!" - he announced happily, showing her the bags and stepping inside. He paused at the entrance and surveyed the paper mess she managed to create in the few short hours that he was away.

"Damn it, Liv, you've been busy!" – he laughed while Olivia smiled sheepishly at him. They headed to the coffee table and tried to find some clean surface by re-organizing Olivia's notes and papers.

Fitz started unpacking the food, all the while talking about his two new defense advisors that he just met.

"Steinbeck seems like a great guy, very thoughtful and precise. He is not afraid to speak his mind either, which is a huge plus. Montgomery, on the other hand…" – he trailed off and gave her an expectant look.

Olivia shrugged her shoulders and returned his stare: "What about her?.."

"Oh, come on Liv, I know you two have some history, give me some scoop!"

"Fitz, we have some personal history, and that has nothing to do with her abilities as defense advisor. I hear she is very strong and knowledgeable"

"Personal, huh? What, did you fight over a guy or something?"

When Olivia didn't reply, he knew he hit it close to home.

"Who was he? Anyone important to you?"

Olivia gave him a weak smile and shook her head. "No, he was not important. I met him at one of the galas, and flirted shamelessly through the night. He invited me over to his hotel room, and I have been single for a while, so at first I thought why not.. One of my colleagues got pretty drunk, and in the end I volunteered to drive him home, which kind of prevented my one-night stand with him. Jane Montgomery was at that gala and spent the whole evening watching me and him flirt. I bet she figured he was trying to make plans with me for later too… I guess my man-stealing antics go waaaay back" – she finished sadly, not able to meet his gaze.

Fitz stopped unpacking the food containers and looked at her. Seeing her so small and dejected tugged at his heartstrings, he scooted over and cradled her face in his palm.

"Livvie, look at me!" – when she didn't comply, he gave her a gentle kiss and asked her again. Almost against her will, Olivia raised her eyes and stared back at him.

"You didn't still anyone.. You didn't know that Jane had a boyfriend. And you didn't steal me from anyone either". Olivia started to protest, but he put his thumb n her limps and shook his head from side to side, determined to finish his sentence.

"Listen to me Livvie. Yes, I am married, but I am married only on paper, and have been married only on paper for years now. I don't remember last time we shared anything cordial or affectionate with Mellie. If I wasn't running for the President, if I didn't become a President, I would have divorced her a while ago. I should have divorced her a long time ago, but I had no one in my life to support me in this, or even encourage me to do it. I was lonely, and miserable, and all my friends and colleagues around me seemed to have a similar life. I had no reason to divorce her, until you came…"

They sat there, staring at each other for a long time. Olivia didn't know how to respond to him. She knew that what he said was true, but the words "I love you" refused to leave her lips, even though she knew it in her heart and in her mind that she loved him with every fiber of her being, and more than anyone else she has ever loved or cared about. In the end, she broke the gaze and climbed into his lap. She curled into him, and wrapped her arms around him, willing him to hear what hew heart felt and her lips could not yet articulate. Fitz seemed to understand her, and his hands hugged her just a bit tighter, and his kisses to her forehand and lips just a little bit longer.

Before they got carried away, he gently took a hold oh her face and smiled sweetly at her.

"Olivia Pope, you have an excellent stamina! After all the hot sex and passionate debates that we had today, I am starving!"

She laughed at him and blushed just thinking about what they did to each other earlier that afternoon. Smiling mischievously, Fitz gently deposited her on the floor next to the coffee table and went on finishing the unpacking of food.

"Here we have an excellent dinner of chicken and potato salad, to celebrate another productive day!"

Olivia turned around to eye the food he unpacked and laughed at him.

"Grilled chicken and potato salad, how very un-presidential of you!"

Fitz laughed along and started eating. They tucked in the food, and Fitz finished recounting his meeting with Steinbeck and Montgomery. After they cleaned off most of the dinner, Olivia pushed away from the table and announced that she was full and could not eat another bite. Fitz poured out wine and they cleaned up they food mess and moved it to the kitchen. Once they settled back on the couch, with Olivia curling herself into his side, he broke the silence.

The food was very un-gourmet, yes. This was my mom's favorite food, I really wanted to share it with you. Breaking the embrace, Olivia looked at him, trying to gauge where he was going with his story. Fitz gave her a quick kiss, and pulled her back against his side.

"When I was little, my father used to travel a lot. When he was out, life at home was happy and peaceful, with only me and my mom. She used to order grilled chicken from a restaurant down in North Santa Barbara, and then we would make the potato salad at home together. It's one of my best memories from my childhood".

It felt good to share happy stories with her, to show and tell that not all was broken and sad in his past.

Olivia didn't know how to respond to his recollections, she wanted to cry and give him a hug and smile and be happy about him sharing his past with her at the same time.

She took hold of his face and gave him a long deep kiss, his story stirring something raw and deep inside of her. Their kiss quickly escalated into a hot and frenzied haze, and they started to pull off their clothes frantically, eager to have skin on skin contact.

Before they knew it, the connection was established and their dance has begun. Olivia slammed her hips down on him, mindless of slight pain that her sore flesh signaled. She didn't want to waste a single minute that she could spend with him, could not get enough of him. She knew that their days at Camp David were coming to an end and she worried that they were going to lose their lust-filled, heated, playful and loving idyll. She gripped his shoulders, and started moving on top of him, head thrown back in complete abandon and ecstasy.

"Easy baby, you are going to hurt yourself… Slow down.." - he murmured softly and caught her hips to still her frantic movements.

Olivia started at him, wild-eyes and wanton, and the last thing she wanted to do was to slow down. She knew Fitz was concerned, she was always tender if they kept on going on and on with their lovemaking, and that day, they broke their own record of the number of rounds they've done.

"It's OK Fitz, I am fine.. I just want this… " she trailed off and tried to move her hips again, but his hold on her was relentless.

Fitz gave her a slow, sweet smile and leaned in for a quick kiss. Then, not letting her recover from her confusion at his stalling tactics, he raised his hips and pushed into her, letting her feel all of him. Her breath caught in her throat, and she was suddenly overwhelmed by him, his gentle moves deep inside her, his strong hands controlling their pace and his eyes, so full of love and desire. They didn't say a word, just kept on moving gently and softly against each other. Sudden explosion of heat, caused by him tugging at her nipple, or her giving a gentle kiss to his ear, and their were both gone, Olivia holding on to him to feel the rest of the rhythm of his hips against her as their rode out their orgasm….

_END OF FLASHBACK_

Having finished her walk down the memory lane, Olivia has not noticed that she has already made it back to her apartment and went to her kitchen to unpack her chicken fest for two. Suddenly, loneliness hit her like a slap on the face. She was not hungry anymore and didn't want like eating any of this food all alone. She would never have picked up chicken and potato salad by herself, that was not her type of food. She went to it because she remembered how Fitz brought it over, how he made her made her eat more and more of "real" food; how she would go on to steal pieces of chicken from his plate to make him laugh and chase her to retrieve his stolen food, ducking around his wandering hands and sneaking fingers. Tears welled up in her eyes while she sat motionless, staring into nothing.

She jumped out of her skin at the loud knock on her door that echoed through her apartment. After checking the peephole, she pulled the door open with lightening speed.

"Fitz! What are you doing here so late?"

He smiled tiredly at her and stepped in through the door. "Hi Livvie. I just really wanted to see you..."

Seeing her tear-stricken face and sad eyes, he frowned at her:

"Livvie, what's wrong? Are you OK? It is your mother?"

Olivia looked at him for a moment, drinking him in and feeling the happiness at his mere presence spread through her like a warm taste of honey. She stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him tightly, enjoying his warm body and his gentle hands hugging her back.

"It's nothing. I am alright... I just really needed to see you too…" – she whispered quietly into his chest.


	3. Back to the trail

Once again, THANK YOU so much for all follows and kind words! I love them all :)

I just hate that Season 4 is like CIA, no news, no whispers, no nothing. I somehow worry that won't deliver on all that superficial hype.. Oh, KW and TG will deliver, but will the writers do so?... Anyhow, in this chapter, I won't to explore how Fitz and Olivia decided to have Olivia back as campaign manager. I went into kind of lengthy dialogues here, I hope you won't get bored! :)

**Chapter 3: Back to the Trail**

Peace. Happiness. Tranquility. Love. Olivia felt all this and more standing in the foyer of her apartment wrapped up in Fitz's embrace, shutting out the world and its ugliness, noisy phone calls, crazy deadlines and difficult clients. Olivia could have stayed in his arms forever and a day, but apparently, Fitz had other plans.

Looking over the top of her head that was tucked snugly under his chin, he curiously eyed all the food that was spread out on her coffee table.

"Liv, are you expecting someone?.." – he could not believe she would buy all this food for herself.

Olivia raised her head from his chest and gave him an incredulous look.

"No! I am not expecting anyone!" – was he insinuating she was seeing someone else? Then she remembered the copious amounts of food that she bought earlier today, and smiled up at him sheepishly.

"I just felt like having some real dinner tonight. No popcorn! Come on, I bet you'll like it!" – her eyes danced mischievously, anticipating his surprise at the discovery of his favorite food.

His eyes lit up like the lights on Christmas tree, and his smile would have her fall in love with him utterly and completely, had she not been already completely smitten by him.

"Livvie.." – he exhaled, not sure he believed his eyes or that he was getting all emotional over her food choices "you remember?..." – he trailed off, unsure of himself and not wanting to assume that she got this food just because of him or that she remembered his story.

Olivia gave him a small tender smile and cupped his cheek in her small hand.

"Of course I remember, silly! How can I forget…This is one of my fondest memories…"

He pulled her into a tight embrace again before kissing her softly, his heart was full and he was hopelessly in love with this woman wrapped tightly in his embrace. The words failed him: he didn't know how to express what he felt and what she meant to him, so he just held her close and savored the moment. They have known and loved each other for 5 years now, but Olivia was still sometimes reluctant to share her innermost thoughts with him, and Fitz cherished every little glimpse into her heart and soul.

Olivia broke the embrace first this time, and dragged Fitz to the table. He smiled at her enthusiasm and tossed his jacket away carelessly, getting comfortable. Next came off cufflinks that he passed over to Olivia for safekeeping, and then came his shirt, that looked crumpled and felt stifling after his long day in the Oval. He kicked off his shoes and socks too, feeling like he peeled away layers of stress and fatigue as he took off his clothes. Olivia watched him undress silently, her heart constricting at the little gestures that he knew by heart. They have not shared that many simple domestic moments in their relationship, but every little glimpse into the normalcy and maybe into the future was securely stored away in her mind.

Fitz approached the coffee table with Olivia trailing behind him after she re-arranged his clothes, hanging up his jacket and putting the shoes away, ever mindful that he will need to look somewhat presentable when he will have to go back to the White House.

Fitz pushed the table away from the couch and plopped down on the carpet, stretching his long legs in front of him. He looked up at Olivia, who was watching him quizzically, and patted a spot next to him on the floor.

"Come here"

Olivia sat down, giving him another dubious look.

"Why are we sitting on the floor? I have plenty of furniture"

Fitz chuckled and busied himself preparing her plate, getting food out of containers. He passed the plate to Olivia and ordered quietly:

"Eat up! Why can't we sit on the floor? It is very comfortable" – to illustrate the point, he rested his back against the couch after arranging his own plate.

Olivia shook her head at him, mumbling under her breath:

"What is it with you and floors"…" - when she realized he heard her, she blushed and laughed at her own mortification. Fitz shared her mirth but decided to let her off the hook easily this time and continued eating. He realized her mind wandered off to Vermont and how they have not moved off the floor for the whole evening and night, even though they had sofas, chairs and beds at their disposal, instead opting to eat, talk, make love and sleep on the plush carpet in front of their fireplace.

This evening, they talked quietly about the day and the troubles Fitz had with Cyrus and his new legal advisor. Fitz declined Olivia's offer to turn on the evening news, he wanted to listen to her only, and had a fair share of world problems and crises for one day.

Suddenly, Olivia remembered why she was trying to get to the White House earlier that day.

"Fitz, we need to talk about your reelection campaign"

He gave her a tired smile, the one that didn't quite reach his eyes, and she could sense how his body next to her tensed immediately.

"Why?... I don't want to talk about the campaign; there is nothing really to talk about there. Cyrus is interviewing campaign managers and he will have someone identified by the end of this week. I met with my speechwriters two days ago, and we hashed out a couple of starting talking points. So, there is nothing else to talk about"

He was not looking at her anymore, staring at the wall in front of him instead. His whole posture screamed "Back off!" but Olivia was anything but a coward and wanted to figure out what the problem with the campaign was.

"Fitz!" – when he didn't turn around to face her, she put her plate back to the table and kneeled by his side, grabbing his head in her hands and forcing him to make eye contact with her.

"Fitz…" – she started again much softer – "do you even want this? Do you want to run again? Do you want to be the President? Or are you doing this because you feel this is the right thing to do, or because Mellie and Cyrus pushed you to do it, or because I talked you into it?"

Fitz turned his head and placed a soft kiss against her palm.

"I want to run... I want to win. But I am just so very tired, Liv... Tired to my bones... I don't have any more motivation, or fresh ideas, or desire to come to the Oval and push for a change, for reforms... I can't stand the sight of Mellie, or Cyrus, and just the word Congress gives me a migraine... I don't think we had any breakthroughs or real successes since my first year of Presidency, and all that I do day in and day out is fight and fight and fight... with everyone, yourself included..."

She waited patiently for him to finish his tirade, sensing that he needed to talk and get this off his chest. She was also quite glad that he was willing to share his burdens with her. Fitz in turn felt like a weight has been lifted off his shoulders. It has been ages since he just sat down and talked with anyone about his troubles and doubts and thoughts, someone without agenda, and someone who cared about him. Last time they talked about everything and nothing was in Vermont, before the whole spectacle with Olivia's parents unfolded, and Vermont seemed like it was a lifetime ago. His blue eyes searched her face for answers, or maybe just for understanding, and he grew quiet, sensing that she also had something to say to him.

Olivia licked her lips, trying to gather her thoughts for what she had to say, stalling, as she knew how important her words were going to be. She usually knew exactly what to think and what to say to her clients, but this was Fitz and not work, he was much more bigger and important and challenging. Fitz always threw her off her balance too, and made her question everything she knew and believed in.

"You have to run Fitz, you have to win. For yourself, first of all, because you ARE the best person for this job, and you deserve to win. For this country, because America needs a President like you, someone who is brilliant and honest and passionate and loyal and selfless. And for me, too.. Because I want you to run and win, and I want to run your campaign again. I want to do it honestly, and honorably and give you back what we stole from you 4 years ago, what I took away from you. Let's do it together, and let's do it right! If you want to have me back, of course…"

She laid all her cards on the table and waited for him to say something, anything to break their silent spell and their staring contest neither of them seemed to be willing to lose.

Fitz was speechless and quite overwhelmed. He never expected that she would want to come back and run her campaign again. They talked about it before Vermont, they fought about it, and he decided to let it go and give up this idea of having her back. Now she was willing to jump on the bandwagon, and campaign with him, and she was doing it quite vigorously too.

"Livvie, are you sure you want to do this? I don't want you to come back to the campaign because of Defiance. We put it behind us, I put it behind us, and let's leave it in the past and just move on"

'No Fitz I am not coming back because of Defiance, though I do want to rewrite this wrong. I want to run your campaign and prove to you that you deserve to be the President; you deserve to run clean and win. And I want to prove to myself that I can help you win honestly, like I should have done 4 years ago. There will be no Mellie or Verna or Hollis or Cyrus, though we can't get rid of him probably, but let's do this together, as a team, and do it right. We are in this together?"

Fitz was at a loss for word again. He never understood before now how deep Olivia's ambition and passion for his political capital and legacy ran, not until that moment. He took hold of her hands and tugged her over to his lap, needing her to be close.

"You really want to do this?"

"Yes, I really want to do this. Let's go back to the trail"

"OK, let's do it then. And yes, we are in this together, Liv"

Olivia's smile was so bright and wide, Fitz was not sure if he ever saw her so elated. They sealed their new deal with a soft kiss and just held each other, communicating their love and understanding and unwavering support.

After a few minutes of tender embraces and exchanging kisses, Olivia remembered the time and started getting up from his lap.

"And where do you think you are going?" - his hands on her hips held her captive, stopping her from moving away.

"Fitz… It is getting late, and you need to get back to the White House…"

"No I don't... Not until tomorrow morning"

"Fitz, someone will see you…"

"No they won't. We took a civilian car, no presidential identifications.. It is bulletproof and safe, before you say anything. Tom and Hal will get me back in tomorrow morning without any issues. So, I don't know what you are doing, but I am going to bed"

With that, he gently, but quite unceremoniously pushed her off back to the floor and stood up. Collecting his empty plate and a few of food containers, he marched off to the kitchen, calling her over his shoulder:

"I cleaned up my mess, you clean yours!"

Olivia couldn't help but laugh. She loved seeing his silly and playful side, and she didn't get to see it often enough, every single laugh, every single joke and carefree moment was a treasured memory.

She finished cleaning up after dinner and went to check the door before remembering that Secret Service was station outside her door, and no burglar would get in tonight.

She found Fitz standing in her bedroom, in front of her closet, surveying her clothes.

"You have way too many pants and jackets and not nearly enough dresses. I love you in dresses"

"Is this an obligatory dress-code for your new campaign manager?" – she challenged him playfully.

"Oh, absolutely! I will ask Morris not to let you in on the grounds if you are not wearing a dress"

She didn't have any wit retort to his threat; instead she gave him a hanger to put his pants on and disappeared into the bathroom to do her nightly routines.

After tossing his t-shirt off, Fitz wasted no time getting comfortable on her bed. He slept here less than dozen times, but he always felt at home and loved every minute he spent on her bed with her, sleeping or making love. His eyes watched her movements around the room when Olivia emerged from the bathroom, his pulse accelerating at the sight of her beautiful body barely hidden by her nightie. She tried to hide her yawn when she climbed in the bed and got comfortable on his chest, her arm and leg hugging him close. She raised her lips to his to give him a good night kiss, and moments later, she could feel herself drifting off, lulled by his heartbeat and comforted by his presence.

Olivia woke up in the darkness to the faint glow of the moon shining through her window. For a moment, she wondered if she dreamed about the evening she spent with Fitz and falling asleep in his arms. But then the next instance, she felt him, the heat of his body next to her, his lips kissing her neck and his fingers teasing her center, igniting her senses and bringing her fully awake. She turned around in his arms and realized that she was completely naked under his heated, lustful gaze. He was not shy, his appreciative stare travelling up and down her body, remembering his favorite curves and her weak spots. She could not believe he managed to completely undress her without waking her up.

"Fitz, what are you doing?..." – her question seemed quite irrelevant. It was quite obvious he was DOING her and trying to drive her wild in the process too.

As her breath grew heavier and her pupils dilated from the pleasure he was giving her, he smile got even more lustful and sinful. Instead of replying, he drove his fingers inside her core, making her arch her back and hiss at the onslaught of naked pleasure.

His lips were soon on her, stealing her whimpering sighs, as his fingers continued their rhythm and their torture of her. Dizzy, aroused and floating in her pleasured haze, she broke the kiss to suck in some air and clutched his shoulders, needing him to be near. His clever mouth moved to her nipple, while his thumb found her pleasure point, the movements of his fingers now relentless and unyielding. She snapped and fell apart around him, the pleasure so intense she felt like she was blacking out.

Olivia searched his lips out, eager to taste him and feel their strong connection, trying to communicate how desperately she needed more of him right now.

"Sorry I woke you up… I could not help myself" – he whispered against her lips, his smile mischievous and without any trace of remorse.

"Make love to me" – she whispered hoarsely, "no more teasing, please"

Fitz didn't need to be asked twice. He discarded his boxed and surged into her in one strong movement. Olivia cried out and held his face steady, needing to see his eyes while he moved inside her with strong purpose. Gathering the last of her strength, she wrapped her legs around him

"More…" – he compiled eagerly, and their dance grew wild and frenzied. Olivia could feel herself falling through an abyss, his length inside, his lips on her, his scent, his heat and his gaze pushing her into another wave of orgasm. Fitz followed quickly, his hips moving uncontrollably to ride out their highs.

When they both calmed down, Olivia peaked at him and laughed.

"I think I am ok with you waking me up like this, Mr. President…"

Fitz growled in response, swiveling his hips a few more times before pulling out of her and bringing her tenderly to his side.

"I love you, baby" – she whispered quietly into the night, before falling back into sleep.

Next time she woke up, her whole room was illuminated by bright morning sun. She was greeted by a sight of Fitz sitting on the edge of her bed, fully clothed, his fingers caressing her face.

"Good morning, sweet baby, sorry I had to wake you up again"

"You need to go back?" – she sounded small and vulnerable.

" I do... But I will see you in a few hours. Get some sleep, and we have a meeting scheduled for 9 o'clock, Miss Pope" – his smile was loving and tender.

"OK…" - she didn't know what else to do, so she threw off the covers and hugged him tightly, not quite ready to let him go just yet. He held her close, his fingers playing on her naked back, and she could feel herself getting aroused again. Before she fell into the dream-like state he constantly held her in, he placed another quick kiss to her lips, bid her good bye, and walked out the door.

"Don't be late!" – his voice was full of mirth, and for the first time in weeks, she didn't feel like completely falling apart with him leaving. She snuggled back into the bed sheets that smelled like her and him, and their shared passion, and went back to sleep.


	4. Awkward Conversations

Hello everyone and thanks again for all your comments and follows and messages :) Please keep them coming!

This was one of the most difficult chapters to write... I feel completely unmotivated and uninspired by Scandal. The first 3 episodes were so bad, I felt like taking a long break from all things Scandal... :( But I still care too much about the show and the characters, and I guess I like KW and TG too much to just let it go...

So here comes the next installment. I am not happy how some of the dialogues came out, but I wanted to get the chapter put and focus on the next one, I already have an outline ready for it.

Please let me know what you think! :)))

**Chapter 4: Awkward Conversations**

"Are you serious, Liv?

" No, Cyrus, I am playing a practical joke on you... I am just pretending that I will be running the President's re-election campaign, well, maybe for the next two weeks, and then I will change my mind and go back to OPA... Of course I am serious! I am back, and I will run the campaign"

"And what does Fitz have to say about it? Wait, don't answer this... Of course he is ecstatic! I was wondering why he has been sort of happy in the last couple of weeks. Is it when you decided to come onboard? Why didn't you tell me earlier, I could have saved so much time by not interviewing all these people…"

"Cyrus!" – Olivia started to grow tired of his never-ending tirade. "We have just discussed it yesterday, or I have just told Fitz yesterday, we were not hiding it from you"

"Oh, so that's where the President went yesterday. I knew of course he went on his rendezvous slash booty call with you, but I didn't realize you talked business too"

Olivia willed herself not to blush in front of Cyrus and fixed him with a death glare. She also smiled inwardly at his assessment that Fitz was happier in the last couple of weeks. After their time in Vermont, it was easy to pretend for Olivia that everything was fine in their world. They resumed their phone calls to talk about how their days went, their playful banter and teasing was back too and it felt great to have Fitz in her life. She felt sort of happy in the last couple of weeks too.

"I am glad you are well aware of President's movement. He assured me he was safe, and took precautions before going out. And no, I didn't plan it, and neither did I invite him. He was just Fitz and he came over. I wanted to tell him here, in the White House, and I wanted to tell you too, but I could not get through to you or Fitz. That's why I was chasing you down yesterday…"

"OK Liv, I get it, you are onboard and running the campaign. Great job. Now, what is our next move?" – he grumbled and fixed her with an annoyed stare.

Olivia was slightly taken aback by Cyrus's less than enthusiastic reception. She was sure he would be blowing on trumpets and jumping in joy when he heard the news, Olivia Pope was the best fixer after all. Something didn't seem right here.

"We have a meeting in Roosevelt Room in half hour, I will see you there and brief you together with the rest of the team on the schedule, travel plans, agenda and talking points"

Olivia knew Cyrus too well. She would try to figure out later what his problem with her was and why he was not more excited about them all working together again. For now, she quietly closed the door to his office and went in search of Fitz. She hasn't seen him yet this morning, he was stuck in Situation Room ever since she arrived at the White House. Deciding to try her luck once again, she headed in the direction of the Oval.

Walking through the corridors of the West Wing, Olivia felt both excited and sad. She ran into a few people she knew from her time working here, and could not help but wonder how the last four years of her life and Fitz's presidency would have gone if she hadn't run away from Fitz and her position, but stayed onboard and helped him through, working alongside. What would have happened if she didn't chicken out when he wanted to come clean with Amanda Tanner episode? If she stayed by his side, like he asked her too, would these people who stopped her to shake her hand and inquire about her well-being look her in the eyes now and acknowledge her existence? Would they be friends and close colleagues by now, or would their respect and trust of her be marred by her affair with the President and she would have been forever branded as mistress and not regarded warmly by any of them?

Her thoughts started to wander the longer she walked and the familiar sense of doubt crept in. What was she doing here in the White House? Why was she willingly going back into the clandestine relationship and hiding in the shadows with Fitz? She knew too well that would not be able to stay away from him and keep their relationship purely platonic. She loved him too much for that, and was too weak around him for that. She suddenly needed a minute to herself, to sit down and organize her thoughts. Her inner voice and doubt kept on whispering to get up and leave, run away from the White House and Fitz, but her head and even her heart spoke louder this time.

"Olivia Pope, you are not running. You are staying here and working with Fitz, you will get him reelected. And you will take whatever else comes your way not because you are weak or indecisive or too much of a woman in love with the man in power, but because you genuinely care and worry about him, you love him, and you want to be there for him. Running the Presidential campaign and making history is simply an additional bonus..."

Her little self-inflicted pep-talked helped, and before her thoughts carried her further away from Fitz and reelection campaign, she got up from the chair in her hiding corner and continued towards the Oval. She stopped in her tracks when the door to Situation Room suddenly opened and people started filing out of it into the corridor, going in different directions, some of them recognizing her and stopping to say hello. Before long, Fitz appeared with two Generals by his side, his face stern and unreadable. The moment their eyes met, his gaze warmed up and her heart melted, the ice wall she has just started building inside her with her doubts and concerns about their relationship crumbling down. He pinned her down to her spot just with his stare, silently asking her not to move anywhere and wait for him.

Fitz shook both Generals' hands and bid them good-bye. He then stepped closer to her and whispered "Hi" before gently tugging her by the elbow and leading her towards the Oval.

She sped up in front of him, not wanting people to see them touching or walking too close to each other. Though the rumors about their affair have completely died down, she didn't want to take any chances. Olivia smiled and waved at Lauren on her way into the office with Fitz right behind her, slamming the door shut after them.

Before she even tried to make it to the window to the cameras' blind spots, his strong hands were around her, pulling her close. She turned around in his arms and pressed her body even closer, hiding her nose in his neck, inhaling his scent and reveling in the warmth of his body. Having him close and holding her tenderly dissipated any lingering concerns and doubts she might have had. Being close to him, being there for him and having him in return was all worth it.

Feeling the tension radiating from his body, she pulled back to look at Fitz's face closely, trying to get a read on him. He gave her a tired smile and kissed her softly. It was probably the gentlest kiss he has ever given her and she giggled at the thought.

"Hmmm" – he hummed in return, "this was the most beautiful sound I heard all morning. What are you laughing about though?"

"Tell me what's going on, you have been stuck in that room for hours and you feel so tense" – she tried stepping out of his embrace to sit herself on the couch, but he would have none of it.

His arms held her tighter and he whispered in her ear: "It's Syria, and I can't really tell you more, not for another day or two at least. But I do know how you can help me relax and get rid of all this tension"

"Fitz!" – this time she did manage to duck out of his arms, her whole face heating up, the rosy hue covering her cheeks and creeping to the V-neck cut of her blouse.

He let her go out of his embrace and roared with laughter.

"This is not what I meant, though I would love to make love to you right now... But what I what to say is... let's just sit here for a few minutes, relax and talk, we can eat something and start discussing the first meeting for the campaign. I am sure it will help me relax"

Olivia could not help but join him in laughter. She always accused him of being insatiable and being the instigator of most of their make-out sessions, but he was obviously not the only guilty party here.

They settled themselves on the couch and dug in sandwiches, scones and coffee that Lauren has cleverly prepared beforehands. Olivia swore that the woman was a saint, tolerating Fitz and his mood swings, being on top of his schedule and agenda, dealing with Cyrus and Mellie and herself now too.

"Lauren needs a raise" –she spoke through a mouthful of scones and coffee.

"Why, are you planning on taking advantage of me here while we are all alone, "strategizing"? - he threw at her playfully.

"No, though that might happen too. I just think that she is really good at putting up with you and being on top of everything. Make sure you don't lose her"

"I won't, Livvie"

The conversation flowed and they started talking about the next steps for the campaign and where they will go traveling until Cyrus arrived to check on them and take them to Roosevelt Room. Olivia could not shake off the feeling that Cyrus was very suspicious again. He looked almost disappointed to see them sitting at opposites ends of the couch having a serious talk instead of making out by the window. She really needed to talk to him before she left for the day.

First campaign meeting went smoothly and they made a lot of progress. Jeannine and Ethan, two of Cyrus's protégés, impressed Olivia with their eagerness to help and their firm grasp on political landscape, and she knew that she could rely on them going forward. Another pleasant surprise was the absence of Mellie and Sally. Olivia decided she had to talk to Mellie that day too to inform her about Olivia's new role, but Sally's absence was both suspicious and questionable. Olivia decided to start researching that as soon as everyone left the room.

"To summarize, thanks for your help and enthusiasm everyone, we have a lot of work in front of us. I will bring my team on, and you can meet them all tomorrow morning. You can get going now, there is a lot of ground to cover"

Staffers hurried off in different directions with long lists of tasks to perform, and Olivia found herself alone with Fitz and Cyrus. Fitz needed to leave to go back to Situation Room, but he asked her to stay here as long as she needed and start her work.

Ignoring Cyrus' s presence in the room, Fitz walked over to Olivia and took hold of her hand. She could see it in his eyes that he wanted to reach out and kiss her and hold her, but neither of them wanted Cyrus to have a heart attack right there and then. After Fitz' departure, Cyrus tried to retreat too, but Olivia firmly asked him to stay as she needed to talk to him.

"Liv, can this wait until tomorrow? Ella is sick and I am planning to head home now before we hot the ground running full speed with the campaign.

"Cy, there is nothing urgent. You should go… What's wrong with Ella?"

"Nothing serious, just some stomach bug.."

Silence fell between them and they engaged in a staring competition, each daring the other one to break first and start talking.

"Ok, I will make it quick.." – Olivia decided to let Cyrus have this round. "I don't understand what your problem is and what is going on and what you are treating me as if I am your most annoying relative. I thought you would be happy I am on the campaign again. I don't really care what your deal is, but you'd better cut it in front of Fitz, I don't want him to worry about us being at each others' throats"

Cyrus nodded his head as if agreeing with everything Olivia just said. When he raised his head and met her eyes, his gaze was cold and guarded.

"Are you here to stay? And how long do you plan your "stay" to be? We have about a year of campaigning, and I can't afford Fitz going nuts when his campaign manager slash girlfriend has a fit in a week or two and decides to run away"

"Wait, what? I am not running away anywhere.."

"Don't Olivia, I know you. Or actually I thought I know you, but you keep on surprising me. I do know for a fact that when things get tough for you and Fitz, you turn around and leave. When it only concerns your love life, I don't care. You can lead him on as much as you please. But when it comes to the campaign, well, let me say this, I don't want you to be pissed at him and walk away in the middle of the elections".

Cyrus finished his impassioned speech and started at her expectantly, daring her to disagree with what he just said. Olivia was speechless. She didn't realize that Cyrus could read her so well, and a few of the charges that he laid at her door were quite accurate. Still, she felt she wanted and needed to defend herself and assure Cyrus too.

"You can think whatever you want about me and Fitz the people. But me and Fitz the political forces are another matter. I would never walk away on him in the middle of his re-election campaign, when I want him to run and win, and win clean, something that you and me stole from him. So I am here to stay, and you'd better buckle up and get onboard too"

Something akin to a smile appeared on Cyrus's face. He nodded, and then got up and left the room, without saying another word to her. At least now Olivia knew what his problem is, and if she knew the real issue, she knew how to fix it too. It would take Cyrus a couple of weeks to completely come around, but she could stop worrying about him and his puzzling behavior for now.

The rest of the afternoon was spent on phone calls, writing speeches, organizing people and preparing schedules. Olivia felt tired and worn out. To make her day from hell even better, she raised her tired eyes from her laptop to see Mellie waltzing into the room, her superficial smile making Olivia wish to run and hide. She knew though that she wanted to talk to Mellie, and get the announcement of her being the campaign manager out of the way, so she squared her shoulders and stood up, prepared to fight.

"Mellie?.."

"Olivia Pope, I am so happy to have you back as campaign manager. I am so sorry I had to miss our first meeting. I was busy finalizing the details of my trip to Atlanta, I am leaving tonight, you know. But before I leave and before we move forward with the campaign, I want to lay down a few rules"

"No Mellie. _**I**_ need to establish the rules, I and not you. I am running the campaign and I am doing it for Fitz and his administration. You either get onboard and play on our side and by the rules, or we will leave you at the sidelines"

"How dare you?! You owe me.."

Olivia cut her off unceremoniously again. "I don't owe you anything. Whatever I owe is to Fitz and Fitz alone. I need you to be present and participating, or he will lose. And I somehow feel that his loss is going to be worse for you than for him"

Mellie turned an unpleasant shade of red, clearly trying to stop herself from screaming.

"You want me to participate, ha! And let you run the show? Even if you dare to approach my husband and fall into your old routines again, I will destroy you. I will destroy you and him and ruin his chances!"

"Again, Mellie. He will not be the only one who will lose. I encourage you to think about your own future. You want him to win, you need him to win this election and stay in the White House for four more years, so don't stand here and pretend that you will try to ruin his presidency"

"I will not tolerate you two sleeping around like in the old days"

"Why do you care so much now, all of a sudden? Four years ago, you told me about getting him to the finish line first and winning, so what has changed?"

Mellie clearly didn't have anything else to say, so se waved her hands at her, huffed that she was not going to have this conversation with Olivia right now, and marched off from the room, leaving Olivia all alone again. She was on a roll that day making people quickly retreat their steps and disappear from her sight.

Olivia was not sure what came over her and where all her courage and push to stand up to Mellie came from, but she felt fed up with her. Maybe her guilty party syndrome had an expiration date, and it was finally over for her. Olivia was there for Fitz, and nothing, not even jealous and vindictive wife would stand in her way.

The shouting match with Mellie left Olivia strangely energized and determined. Olivia didn't know if guilt-free zone in her mind was a temporary event or something that came to stay, but she was not planning on dwelling on it for too long. It was early evening, and she had mountains to move before the end of the day and the official start of the campaign next morning. She knew she should call it a day here and go home to create the next steps to her plan, but she really wanted to see Fitz at least briefly before leaving, look into his beloved face, get a quick kiss and a warm hug and then be off on her way. As if conjured by her thoughts, Fitz appeared in the doorway.

"Livvie, I am so happy you are still here. Everyone left for the day, Cyrus is with sick Ella at home, and Mellie is off to Atlanta. I let the majority of the staff go, they need their energy before you start running them full speed tomorrow" - he looked tired, but happy and content to just be in her presence.

He circle the table around and tugged her to stand and follow him out of the room.

"Fitz, where are we going?"

"Just follow me, I want to show you something"

Olivia was slightly apprehensive about what was on his mind and where he was leading her, but she followed him without any further questions, silently observing the halls of the Residency and the East Wing and where he was leading her. She has been there only a handful of times, always sneaking around and trying to make sure that no one but Tom saw her coming and going. Then the was another time when she was summoned to the Residency by Mellie, with the First Lady trying to persuade Liv to come onboard of the campaign.

They walked through the long corridor and Fitz opened the door to the room in the corner.

"Fitz, what are we doing here? And what is this?"

"I am giving you a tour. This is the Queen's bedroom, and you have never seen it before. I simply can't let it be this way! Have you ever wondered where the Queen stays when she is coming for a visit, well, here it is" - he spread his hands out wide to illustrate his point.

She laughed aloud, a deep belly laugh that shook her entire small frame, tears of joy forming in the corners of hers eyes. Fitz kept on staring at her while she was enjoying her mirth, realizing that the instances when he saw her laugh like this were few and seldom. Olivia deserved to laugh; she deserved to laugh like this, unrestrained, carefree and full of happiness. He was glad he could bring her joy, and the sight of laughing Olivia made him feel smug and aroused at the same time.

And just like this, he was on her; his lips travelling agonizingly slow from her ear to her cheek, to her nose and finally touching her lips with feather-like strokes. She was growing impatient with his slow pace and tried to capture his mouth with her own to deepen their kiss, but he would have none of that.

When he finally gave in and gave her what she wanted, the kiss quickly turning from slow and playful to deep and passionate, leaving Olivia tingling in anticipation. Fitz' hands travelled from cradling her face to unbuttoning her blouse and unzipping her pants. He smiled at her ruefully, whispering between gentle pecks to her lips:

"You promised to wear more dresses, baby, and here you are in pants again. Tomorrow, you are coming in a dress. And as punishment, you are wearing no panties under that dress"

Olivia tried to focus her eyes on Fitz and come up with sassy retort, but the only thing that her lust-filled brain could signal was more: more of Fitz' hands, more of his voice washing over her, more of his kisses and caressing hands. She whimpered in lieu of reply and tried to bring him closer.

"Patience, baby. I just want to take you in". His hands slowly travelled down the contours of her body, with her trembling from his touch and him feeling aroused and a little bit smug at the reaction he was causing. She was the most beautiful woman he has ever laid eyes on, and standing in front of him in her white panties and nearly transparent camisole, she was so vibrant, and sexy, and vulnerable and his…

Fitz removed the camisole from her body with utmost care, as if unveiling the most valuable treasure, and his gaze and his hands fell involuntary to her breasts. A simple touch of his calloused fingers and she cried out, eager and wanting for more of him.

"Turn around, Livvie.." – she was not sure what he had in mind, but as long as he didn't stop and kept on talking to her like this, she was ready to do whatever he asked.

He gently tugged her panties down her legs and rained kisses all over her exposed back. A shudder coursed through her, and she had to grab at the wall in front to keep herself upright and steady.

She moaned deeply when his hands hugged her breasts and started massaging them, while his nimble fingers played with her nipples. Somewhere at the back of her mind, she worried about her vulnerable state, about making love to him in the White House, about being caught. And then she heard the sound of his pants' zipper, and all worries flew out of her head, and the only thing she wanted was to feel him closer, feel him inside her.

With one gentle stroke of his hips, Fitz joined them, and Olivia had to bite down on her knuckles to stop herself from crying out loud and alerting everyone in 10-mile radius as to what they were doing and how good it felt.

Tender hands and gentle fingers tangled with hers and took her hand out of her mouth. Fitz placed both of their intertwined hands on the wall in front of them and pushed in further into her.

"Livvie.." – his breath was hot and needy in her ear "there is no one but us in the East Wing, you can make as much noise as you want…"

He withdrew from her slowly, and then pushed back with force, nearly lifting her off the ground, her core pulsating around his throbbing flesh, her whole body trembling with pleasure.

Fitz set a steady rhythm and Olivia could not help but cry our every time they met skin on skin and he was so deep she could feel him whole. She wanted, no needed, to kiss him, hold onto him and touch him, but Fitz would not let her turn. He left her hands braced against the wall, while his own hands snaked down her body to caress her clit and play with her nipples, his skillful and knowledgeable fingers sending her over the edge.

Olivia moaned loudly, not caring anymore who might hear her, her body alive with pleasure and release. Fitz tried to hold on and stop his own orgasm, but she felt too good, too tight around him, and he fell over the edge together with her.

Fitz slowly sank to the floor with Olivia securely nestled in his arms, their bodies still joined and slowly moving against each other. Olivia turned her head towards him and finally captured his lips in a grateful kiss. She loved him, and she loved the intimacy and its intensity that they shared. Their tongues caressed each other, neither battling for dominance, but both seeking comfort and gratification.

When they broke up for air, Fitz saw a small shy smile playing on Olivia's lips.

"Hi, baby" – he greeted her lovingly.

"Hi" – her smile was bright and sincere. She realized he was probably the only one in her life she gave her real smiles to. At this moment, she knew that she could stay in his arms for the whole night, not caring about who might look for them, discover them, or judge them.

"I can't believe you just did me against the wall!" – her laugh was sweet and light. "And you are still inside me, and you still have all of your clothes on!" – there was a beautiful sparkle in her eyes, one she always had when they made love.

"Are you complaining, Livvie? Or are you suggesting that I take my clothes off? "

Olivia laughed in return and shook her head negatively. She stood up hesitantly, not sure of her legs will uphold her. Fitz rose behind her and held her tight, his hands encircling her in his warm embrace. She probably received more hugs from Fitz in the last five years of her life than she had in all the years combined leading to the moment when she met him. But then again, she didn't let that many people get close to her.

Fitz led her to the bed and turned up the covers. He kicked off his shoes and climbed in, holding out his hand to her to join him there.

"Fitz, you know we can't stay and sleep here" – Olivia hugged herself from the cold air of the room, her exposed body feeling the loss of his warm one.

"Liv, you are tired and worn out, come here, please?"

His forlorn eyes and gentle face always managed to persuade her to do what he asked. She threw the caution to the wind and climbed into the bed with him, where he looked so cozy, sexy and comfortable. She snuggled closely into his arms, with her head tucked under his chin, and closed her eyes gratefully.

"I will stay, but only for thirty minutes" – her voice was low and sleepy now.

Fitz' silent laughter shook her body and she raised her head to give him a questioning look.

"I thought you will say one minute, so I will definitely take 30." He smiled down at her and touched his lips to hers in another gentle kiss.

Fitz didn't need to rub her back or scratch her scalp, or tell her one of his childhood stories, arsenal of his usual tricks he lied to employ when she was restless and needed soothing. Olivia was out in a matter of minutes, and Fitz could not help but marvel at the pure joy and happiness he felt by simply holding her sleeping form in his arms.

He thought at first about closing his eyes and going to sleep himself, but it was only 8 in the evening, and he felt rejuvenated and very awake. Glancing at the bedside table, he saw a couple of folders with reports that he brought in earlier to go over. Tightening his hold on Olivia, he took one report out and settled down to read, feeling more content than ever.


	5. Late NightsEarly Mornings

_BOO! I mean, Happy Halloween! Thanks to all of you who reads, follows and reviews, really THANK YOU!_

_The real deal continues to discourage me... I hope there is some miracle down the road and we make a 360-turn towards better-quality TV... I realize that I am only watching now because I really admire both T and K. If not for them, I would have stopped watching ages ago.. So sad... I used to be OBSESSED with this show... Oh well, here is my take on where Shonda should have taken their relationship... _

**Chapter 5: Late Nights/Early Mornings**

Sweaty bodies moving in sync, him pushing and retreating, her raising herself to meet his thrusts as they speed along faster, deeper, stronger.

Olivia gasped and opened her eyes. She was in the midst of having a wonderful, sensual dream about Fitz and was so disappointed when she woke up. The reality that greeted her was not that bad either. She realized she was in bed with Fitz, completely naked, snuggled into his arms. She could hear his steady heartbeat in her ear, and could feel the calming warmth of his skin under her cheek through his shirt.

She lazily opened her eyes and saw a piece of paper that Fitz was holding in front of them, his other hand protectively wrapped around her body. For a second, she wanted to just close her eyes and fall back asleep wrapped around him, and stay there for the rest of the night, consequences be damned, but before long, her consciousness kicked in and she remembered where she was.

Sitting up unexpectedly, she startled Fitz, who was in the middle of his report-reading.

"Livvie, what's the matter? – he looked sexy and adorable with his worried expression, dark-rimmed glasses sitting on his nose, and his hair sticking out in all directions, a result of her tender and unrelenting attention.

"Fitz, I need to go, what time is it?"

"Liv, relax… You can stay. No one will come in here, and Mellie is out of town. Tom will take you back home tomorrow in the morning. Or even better, we can ask him to bring some of your things back here so that you don't have to leave at all?"

It all sounded very tempting, but Olivia's voice of reason would not quiet down.

"No Fitz, I can't stay, are you out of your mind? It is bad enough that I fell asleep here, I am definitely not spending the night"

"Livvie, please" – even as he was practically begging her to stay, she hopped out of bed and started collecting her clothes. Fitz watched her for a couple of minutes, and then resigning to the fact that she was indeed leaving, started getting ready himself. He stepped outside to find Tom and ask him to take Olivia back home.

Olivia felt so conflicted. From one hand, she wanted nothing more than to throw caution to the wind and spend the night with him. It has been too long, since their sojourn to Vermont, when she fell asleep and woke up with him in her arms. From the other hand, staying in the White House felt wrong. She also wanted a good night of sleep in her own bed, a hot shower and a change of clothes to recharge completely and be ready to go next day.

When Fitz returned to the room, looking dejected and upset, she almost changed her mind. Walking over to him, she wrapped him in her tight embrace and was grateful to feel him returning her hug. She really didn't want to make him angry or upset; there was a myriad of people in his life doing it to him without her help.

Inhaling his scent from the t-shirt where she stuck her nose, Olivia raised her eyes to catch his gaze and murmured softly:

"I am not running away. I really need to go home. I will be back tomorrow in the morning and we will start working on the campaign full speed. I need to rest and so do you. We both know we are not going to sleep if I stay here, plus it's dangerous. Let's be careful, ok?"

She tried to gauge his reaction to her words and whether he was on the same page with her. Fitz still didn't look happy, but he didn't look dejected anymore either. Her acknowledgement of her earlier running away tactics helped a lot in soothing some of his concerns.

"You are right, we should be careful" – he relented. "Tom will take you out and drive you home".

Before she started objecting and saying that she was perfectly capable of getting home herself, Fitz silenced her with a gentle kiss. Their lips moved against each other, soft, familiar, soothing, and Fitz was struck again by the feeling of complete and utter happiness he got from simply kissing and holding her.

Before they got carried away, Olivia gently pried herself away from his embrace and grabbed her bag.

"Don't stay up late, Mr. President, with these reports of yours. We need you awake and working hard tomorrow" – she winked at him over her shoulder and left the room.

"Bye, Livvie…"_ - he called behind her, sitting down on the bed, feeling old and tired all of a sudden.

When the door softly clicked closed behind Olivia, Fitz felt a familiar sense of loneliness descend upon him. He watched her leave his room so many time he lost count, and he could not get used to the feeling. Moreover, he didn't want to get used to that feeling. A sudden urge to throw or break something ceased him, and he even eyed a delicate Chinese vase as the candidate for his temper victim. He was not sure why her leaving today was particularly painful, but he was definitely sure he didn't want to experience it again.

While he was reading through his reports, and she was sleeping tucked into his arms, he could not help but wonder how his presidency would have turned out with her by his side. They could have had so many nights like this: working together, arguing, even fighting, debating and strategizing, making up and making love. Yet, he could not have any of these simple pleasures because Olivia was not his wife or girlfriend, or partner. He was tied to another woman, someone he shared nothing in common with but their three children and the last name.

Feeling bitter but energized and determined, Fitz grabbed the phone and dialed a familiar number.

"Hello, Lauren. I know it is really late and I apologize, but I really need your help. Can you get through to Attorney Hopkins for me? Yes, it is urgent, and I need to see him in the Oval in one hour. No, you don't need to come in. Also, I don't want this on my calendar and this meeting is between you, the Attorney, and me, and no one can hear about this, understood? Thanks, Lauren, you are a life savior!"

With a plan in mind, Fitz stepped out of the room and came face to face with Daniel, who was guarding the door. Tom was obviously still out driving Olivia back home.

"Daniel, we are moving back to the Oval in a few minutes. Can you call the kitchen and order some food and lots of coffee? This will be a long night…"

Daniel smiled and nodded his agreement. He loved his boss. Only President Grant would worry about providing coffee and food for his employees working late hours, so that everyone around him would be confortable and tended to, regardless of their rank. For this, the President had his utter loyalty, though some of the activities the President engaged in were not completely understood by Daniel.

After a quick shower and a change of clothes into something more comfortable, Fitz strode back to his office. He hasn't heard back from Lauren, so he assumed that Attorney Hopkins was on his way to the White House.

Fredrick Hopkins walked towards the Oval Office with a mix of trepidation and curiosity. He has been on a first name basis with the President of the United States ever since both attended Harvard Law. Fredrick was a bit of an outsider at the elite institution, having no rich parents to account for, but he recommended himself with plenty of charm, charisma and brains. Fitz and Fredrick started playing basketball after classes one day, quickly grew close. After law school, even though they put hundreds of miles in between them, they stayed in touch and saw each other several times a year. Fredrick was very disappointed when Fitz announced his impending marriage to Mellie, obviously his father's choice of a bride. He could see from his office in Bethesda across the country that marriage lacked love and trust and devotion even at its conception. When Fitz was elected the president, Frederick was both elated, honored and in total state of disbelief that his basketball and college buddy was now running the country. Incidentally, this was the one and only time that Fredrick voted for a Republican.

Walking through deserted halls of the White House that evening, Fredrick could not help but wonder what to expect when he reached the door to the Oval Office. They remained friends through Fitz' presidency, and Fitz even consulted Fredrick on a couple of occasions, but never at 12 in the morning and on such a short notice. It must have been soothing urgent that made the President call for him, and probably something secretive know. Fredrick knew very well that Fitz had many advisors at his disposal, many of whom were frankly much more skilled at political affairs, so this must have been something personal. The guard at the door nodded at him, signaling that Fitz has already cleared for him to just come in through the door. Fredrick entered the office, spying the President behind his desk, perusing the papers that covered it. He cleared his throat, announcing his presence:

"Mr. President, such a pleasure to see you, and at such a convenient hour!" – Fredrick extended his hand first, and then both men stepped in to exchange a hug.

Fitz smiled at his friend, grateful for his presence and willingness to come in the middle of the night just because he asked for it.

"Man, I apologize. Thanks for coming! I really need your help and advice, so why don't we take a seat?" Fitz pointed to the couch for Fredrick to sit down and strode to the door to firmly close it.

"No pleasantries today, no talk about weather, women or political affairs? – Fredrick knew that something big was on his friend's mind if he didn't even inquire after the well being of his family.

Fitz shook his head negatively and gave Fredrick a tight smile.

"Please help yourself to food and coffee. This will be a long night, I am afraid. I need you to listen to me, and listen to me carefully, and I really need you to not interrupt me. Then we'll talk, ok? The thing is, my friend, is that I need a divorce, and I need your help to make it happen"

Fredrick was grateful he was seated; otherwise he might have landed on the floor of the Oval in an ungraceful heap, his shock and surprise so great. Fitz chuckled humorlessly at his friend's reaction and continued talking.

"I know you are shocked. I know you think I am out of my mind. But let's forget for a moment about my status and my post. Let's think about me. I am just a man who has been in a dead, unhappy marriage for the last 20 years or so. I had no reason to get out of the marriage; I was a fool and a coward. And of course I was fulfilling my father's political dreams and running for various offices. No one wants a divorced politician, no one trusts a divorced politician.. That was until I met Liv. I know, you would say we have been hiding for 4 years already, why not wait 4 more. But I can't wait any longer, and I don't want her to wait either.

I know my wife though, and she will not let me go easily. I also know that she is ambitious, she is hungry for power and for influence, and she is obsessed with preserving the façade or the image of us being healthily in love. So, I need your help to draft a business proposal for me, a business proposal for my wife. I want to list the terms of my support to her financially and politically, and you need to make the agreement airtight, so that my kids and Liv don't get hurt in the process. Can you help me do it?"

Fitz finished his speech and looked at his friend expectantly. Fredrick was still in deep shock, but some color was returning to his face, and he thought he almost regained his cognitive functions too.

"Fitz, damn, I don't know what to say, apart from - are you out of your mind?! Can you imagine the chaos if this leaks and the press gets to know about your divorce? I mean, why now, why can't you wait another year or so?!"

"Fred, I can't wait another year. I honestly don't want to wait another day. I want to go to bed with a woman I love, and who loves me back for who I am, who seems me for who I am, and supports me. I am an old man, I don't want to wait any longer, and play pretend, stay in the shambles of this marriage. I also want to give my children a chance to see what a happy, loving relationship is… They never got a chance to experience that"

"Fitz, I get it, you love her, you want to be with you. But we are talking about your future, your legacy, your reputation and everything, absolutely everything is at stake!"

"I know, but I am willing to risk it. For her, and for my personal happiness and my personal future. Why are you so worried about my legacy? Yes, I will never get reelected if my divorce comes out. But I frankly don't give a damn about my reelection at this point. If it leaks, and I have a firm belief we will keep it under the radar, and if American people don't want to vote for me as a result, so be it. Do you know that about 50% of marriages in America end up in divorces? So on paper, half of married population of this country should relate to what I am going through…"

"Fitz, I know the statistics, I am one of the best divorce attorneys after all…" – Fredrick gave a pause. He was in such a state of shock that he finally connected the dots only now. Fitz needed him as a friend and as a divorce attorney. That's why he was in the Oval having the most bizarre conversation about the President of the United States, his friend Fitz, getting divorced.

Fitz stood up and grabbed the canter. He poured two generous helpings of whiskey and handed one of the glasses to still disbelieving Fredrick.

"To bold moves and new beginnings, my friend!"

They talked through the night, they argued, they made plans and wrote clauses. Then they erased everything and started from scratch. They drank and ate and remembered the Harvard years. They finally got to talk about Fredrick's family and how his kids and his wife were doing. Fitz was already anticipating introducing Olivia to Jessica, Fredrick's wife, and contemplated that two women could become could friends. He could see them barbecuing together in the future, inviting the Hopkins to Vermont and going skiing, fighting with Liv what appropriate presents would be and if it is ok to just stop by and grab a drink without making prior plans. It was difficult not to lose focus during the course of the night, not to cave in and go back to his boring, loveless, predictable existence. But even a hope for a future, a future with Olivia by his side, was more than enough to help him stay on track and keep on pushing.

At 6 in the morning, he walked a tired and disheveled looking Fredrick out and handed him over to his Secret Service who would take him safely home. Once he reached the Residence, he thanked fate again that Mellie was away and he didn't have to deal with her after his long, sleepless and exhausting night. There was one person though he wanted to talk to before he went to bed and tried to catch at least a little bit of sleep.

"Hello?"

Even after his tiresome and sleepless night, Fitz could not help but smile at Olivia's sleep-laden voice on the other end of the phone, imagining her tousled hair, dazed eyes and her body curling around her pillow when she didn't feel like waking up.

"Good morning, Livvie"

"Fitz!" – her voice was much more alert now. Fitz heard the rustling of comforter on the other end and could see her sitting up in the bed, shaking off the remnants of her sleep. Olivia looked at her bedside clock and saw that it was 6.30AM in the morning. Fitz never called her that early, unless it was something urgent.

"Fitz" – she repeated herself, "What's the matter? Is everything alright?"

"Everything is just fine, don't worry" – Fitz could hear that his voice came off slightly hoarse and weak, after the whole night of talking and at times arguing. He cleared his throat: "I am going to bed now, to catch a couple of hours of sleep, so I will be late to the meetings. I wanted to talk to you before I sleep, sorry that I woke you up, again!"

She could hear the smile in his voice and reasoned that he did sound alright, but her suspicions were not completely gone yet.

"Why are you going to bed just now? You stayed up all night after I left?" – she collapsed the moment she got home, and could not believe that he still hasn't caught any rest.

"Liv, something came up after you left, so I had to work. It's nothing bad, I promise. I will see you later?"

"Yes, go get some sleep!"

"OK, bye…"

She hung up without replying, and started at the phone for a bit, as if willing the receiver to give her some answers. Her gut was telling her that Fitz was hiding something and she wanted to get to the bottom of it, as soon as possible. Since she was at a strange impasse in her love-hate friendship with Cyrus, she would have to get the truth out of Fitz himself. She hopped out of bed and headed to the shower, smiling to herself about various creative and very persuasive ways she could extract information from Fitz.

**Next Chapter: :D Mellie gets to know about divorce! :) Any theories how Olivia will try to extract information from Fitz? ;) And I really want to do something with/to Cyrus...**

**BTW, both James and Jerry are alive in my story, and will remain so... **


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